IACSP Member Perspective

Jakarta Bombings:
Jemaah Islamiyah and its Re-emergence in SEA.

By Andy Raj
IACSP chapter director, Malaysia

The Jakarta recent bombings of the Ritz Carlton and the Marriott Hotel is something not surprising as the re-emergence of Jemaah Islamiyah has been evident for the last year and a half. The escape of Mas Selamat from Singapore is part of the re-emergence of JI in the Southeast Asia region. The very fact that he managed to swim across the Singapore shores to Johor Bahru, in Malaysia, should have been a warning sign for the authorities in the region. A terrorist mind is predictable and this can be driven from the modus operandi of Mas Selamat's planned and carried out attacks prior to his capture. At present, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines remain an operational target for the regional grouping of Jemaah Islamiyah.

Mas Selamat, the JI leader of Mantiqi 1 (M1) of Singapore, which covers Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, is a close aid of Nordin Top the current JI operations leader of Jemaah Islamiyah in Southeast Asia, still at large. As much as it has been quoted by some sources, Nordin Top remains a key figure head of Jemaah Islamiyah and is still part of the larger Southeast Asian terrorist organization. We must not be taken in on the fact that Jemaah Islamiyah was not involved in the above bombings, as they are the only terrorist organization in this region that has a clear structured operational modus operandi and the only capable movement that has a regional grouping around the region with numbers.

The recruitment of JI members come from much of the Southeast Asian region and after the 911 attacks, authorities have crippled most of the terrorist cells in the region. JI moved much of its training operations to Afghanistan and Pakistan. An article written by me and published in The Turkish Weekly Journal in May of 2009, talks of the re-emergence of Jemaah Islamiyah in Southeast Asia. Jemaah Islamiyah is the largest terrorist organization after Al Qaeda in Southeast Asia and commands a steady recruitment process in having its members train in the boarders of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The operational structure of Jemaah Islamiyah is similar of Egyptian terrorist groups.

As mentioned in the article, the one year disappearance of Mas Selamat has given him the opportunity to carry out strategic planning on new attacks for the region together with his accomplice Nordin Top, without whom these attacks could not have occurred. The movement of Mas Selamat in Malaysia would have given him access to communicating with "sleeping cells" in the region as well as producing future plans for JI operations in the region. The internet would be part of the communicating correspondence with Nordin Top who is currently believed to be in the Indonesian region. As much as these are monitored, the authorities are aware of the weaknesses and the reality in addressing the task of tracking internet mail.

Mas Selmat's capture in Malaysia in the beginning of this year is a key element of the recent bombings in Jakarta. Plans of this scale would have taken terrorist groups to plan in advance for major strikes as well as multiple attacks such as the Mumbai bombings. When the authorities in Malaysia captured Mas Selamat, they also detained several JI members of whom some were of new recruits. These were probable avenues for a greater re-emergence of JI and should have been closely monitored. What was considered to be of valuable information seized may only have been a minimal part of a bigger plan. Whether the Malaysian authorities went deep into the interrogation process is not known.

From the evidence gathered by the Indonesian authorities, it clearly states that the bombs were of homemade explosives and are similar to those made by bomb experts such as Malaysian born Dr. Zahari Hussein and Nordin Top. The only person capable of masterminding these deadly attacks is no other than Nordin Top himself. He is currently the most senior JI member and commands authority on such attacks.

These bombings could have been assisted by Mas Selamat in the initial strategic planning of attacks to be carried out within the region. This includes Thailand and the Philippines, which now must be vigilant and ready to address the threats. The authorities should be looking at preventing these threats but more so prepared for the unexpected to happen.

The execution of the planned bombings of the Ritz Carlton and the Marriot Hotel is clearly of a suicide bomber as Indonesian authorities have identified the modus operandi and footages taken by the CCTV points out of a suicide bomber with a backpack having placed in front of his body. This gives him ample opportunity to pull the trigger line in case of a failed attempt as seen in the first attack. Evidence also shows a loophole in the security procedures and it probably could also be connected to an insider job.

It is known that a suicide bomber works with two other persons in close proximity of the bomber. The "escort" is the main subject that the Indonesian authorities should identify and not the suicide bomber as he is already a dead person. The other is usually a photographer who would be taking snapshots of the incidence from a fair amount of distance.

The Indonesian authorities should clearly monitor all existing CCTVs within the vicinity as well as any others that are located to the adjourning area to indentify any culprits suspected of in the recordings. Assessing the current security loop holes are also vital in the initial investigations as well as statements taken from eye witnesses and onlookers. This is clearly of a Jemaah Islamiyah operation and should be taken seriously as more attacks are probable in the near future. This also coincides with the period of attacks within the region as seen in previous years and of more attacks to come.

Indonesia has approximately three hundred and sixty "extremist organizations", legally operating and the Indonesian authorities do not have a law to address these organizations as they are considered very sensitive issues pertaining to the Islamic religion. Evidence gathered in 2002 around Indonesia, clearly shows pictures of "extremist" rallies taking place regularly all over Indonesia. This was more so after the 911 attacks and members of these organizations were in military outfits rallying openly in support of Al Qaeda with pictures of Osama Bin Laden on T-shirts from children to adults.

Jemaah Islamiyah, classified by the US authorities as a terrorist organization, is not considered a terrorist group in Indonesia as it relates to the teachings of Islam and is translated as "brothers of Islam" in English. It becomes difficult for the Indonesian authorities to address these issues and to put a stop to these organizations. A plan to pass a law in addressing the existence of these "extremist" organizations together with international experts has been lurking for sometime and it has not made considerable steps ahead. The Indonesian authorities should address these issues immediately and not "sweep" it under the carpet as this in the long term will undermine the political fundamentals of Indonesia.